Sensing movement

March 24th, 2011

Cambridge Industrial Design recently completed work on a motion capture suit for start-up company Media Interakt. The MotivePro is a body movement sensor system comprising a chest mounted control hub along with sixteen sensor nodes attached to the body using neoprene straps.

Designing the motion sensors proved to be demanding – the Node had to be light and have minimal effect on body movement. The main challenge was how to mount the sensors on the body and make them stay there. Custom neoprene straps were designed which held the Nodes in place, close to each joint of the body. Each Node also has a sucker cup to help maintain placement. We worked with Cambridge based Skalene Technologies who had the task of squeezing all the electronics, including a Wi-Fi module, into a very small space!

The system is intended for a whole host of uses from music production and dance to sports medicine and maybe even computer games. The cost of film grade motion capture suits put this technology out of reach for most but with MotivePro analysing and using body motion data becomes affordable. The first two systems are currently undergoing trials. We look forward to seeing the suit used in all sorts of industries and environments.